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Our unique geography makes New Zealand a great location for space and advanced aviation activities
New Zealand has multiple natural advantages which make it an ideal place to develop, test and operate space and advanced aviation technologies. Our uncrowded skies, coupled with our relatively low population density, means there is plenty of space for testing out innovative concepts in the air and on the ground. New Zealand is also a great location for Earth observation satellite calibration and validation and has a range of suitable sites for space and advanced aviation ground infrastructure.
We are committed to leading the world in space and advanced aviation regulation
The Minister for Space announced in September 2024 that by the end of 2025, New Zealand will have the world’s best regime for advanced aviation. New Zealand already has a best-practice regulatory regime for space and high-altitude activities, designed to support sector growth while managing risks. We are committed to ensuring our space and advanced aviation regulatory regimes are nimble and responsive, keep pace with innovation, and reflect New Zealand’s values. Combined with our geographic advantages, New Zealand will be well positioned to become a location of choice for aerospace activities.
We have a proven track record of space and aviation innovation
New Zealand is well-known for developing creative solutions to problems. We are home to a thriving innovation ecosystem that encourages world-leading research and development activity. Our future-focused policy and regulatory settings make New Zealand an attractive location to develop new space and aviation products and ideas. New Zealand companies are transforming our access to space, developing new transportation solutions and applying aerospace-enabled data in new ways to solve problems and improve our daily lives.
New Zealand is business friendly
New Zealand has long been recognised as a great place to do business, regularly appearing as one of the top 10 countries to do business in reports from organisations like the World Bank and the Economist Intelligence Unit. New Zealand has a business-friendly taxation system that supports capital investment. The Research and Development (R&D) Tax Incentive supports R&D expenditure in New Zealand by providing a 15% tax credit on eligible R&D costs. We have close ties with global markets and free trade agreements with major trading partners.